The government must not only monitor China's actions in the West Philippine Sea but also the developing countries' bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or BRICS.
BRICS members are considered the emerging geopolitical rivals to the G7 group of advanced economies.
UST Political Science professor Marlon Villarin said China wanted to resolve the conflict in the West Philippine Sea through economic, not legal, terms.
"We should watch BRICS closely. This is an international alliance, particularly now that it has attracted new members which are backers of China," Villarin said when he guested on the program "Hot Patatas" of DAILY TRIBUNE and Dyaryo Tirada Wednesday.
Villarin said that despite China's tactics in asserting its maritime claim, some nations maintain a soft approach to China, like the United Kingdom, because of its economic stakes in China, such as the minerals needed for solar power and electric batteries.
"When it comes to technology, China has strong leverage. For example, minerals are used to produce solar power and electric batteries. So, we should ask about the reasons for not antagonizing China. Is the economic leverage successful in convincing some countries to keep their peace?" he said.
Take down app
The National Security Council, meanwhile, has called on the government to "seriously consider" banning the Chinese social media application TikTok among local security officials.
Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the NSC, suggested in a news forum, noting that the council had yet to conduct a complete study on whether or not the TikTok app was being used by China in the Philippines to promote its propaganda.
"We should seriously consider it for the security sector alone, not for the civilian agencies of government," Malaya said.
TikTok faces increasing limits and bans on a global scale.
In the US, a looming ban is under review while a recent congressional hearing grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
Several countries across North America, Europe, and Asia have implemented some level of restriction on the app, mainly over privacy and cybersecurity concerns connected to its parent company, ByteDance, which has ties to the Chinese government.
International government bodies, including the European Commission and NATO, have banned their staff from using TikTok on their corporate phones.
"Maybe if there is a need to ban, it will not be for public school teachers, it will not be for civilians, but it will be for the armed personnel," Malaya said.
NSA to be consulted
Malaya said there was a thorough discussion with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on the matter.
"We will need to study this very carefully, based on national security considerations. We will discuss this with the National Security Adviser if it will be proper for the Philippines to take this step," he said.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines assured that measures are in place to protect the national security from internal and external threats.
